Excel "Get a row" failing: Item Not Found / Malformed Drive ID (Folder-Level Permissions Only)

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Posted on by CU10031444-0

Hi everyone,

I'm running into a frustrating wall with the Excel Online (Business) "Get a row" action and could use some definitive advice on SharePoint permissions.

The Scenario:

I am building a flow that needs to look up an email address in an Excel file (Workflow Map.xlsx) hosted on our company's HR SharePoint site.
My account is not a member of the parent SharePoint Site.
I only have shared read/edit permissions to the specific sub-folder where the Excel file lives (/Shared Documents/HR File Exchange/Trackers/...).

The Problem:
Because I don't have root site access, the standard Power Automate interface is breaking:

New Designer: The dropdown menus for Site Address and Document Library are completely blank.
Custom Values: If I use "Enter custom value" and type the site URL and "Documents" for the library, the flow crashes with a Malformed drive ID error because it can't fetch the backend GUID.
Classic Designer / IDs: If I manage to force the file path or use a dynamic Id from a "Get file metadata" step, the Excel action fails with a 404 Item Not Found error.

My Questions:

Is it fundamentally impossible for the Excel connector (Graph API) to target a file if the account only has folder-level permissions?
Does Power Automate absolutely require standard "Site Member/Visitor" access to traverse the Document Library, or is there a known workaround for shared sub-folders?

I want to be 100% sure there isn't a workaround before I go to our IT department to request elevated site-wide permissions for this service account.

Thank you in advance for any insight!

Categories:

Building flows

Power Automate Desktop

Using connectors

Using flows

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Patel Asutosh 27 31 on at

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Yes, this behavior is expected. The Excel Online (Business) connector in Power Automate relies on Microsoft Graph and SharePoint APIs that require site-level discovery permissions, not just folder-level sharing. Because of that, what you're experiencing is a common limitation.

Workarounds

Option A – Use SharePoint REST / HTTP actions

Use Send an HTTP request to SharePoint

Query the file directly via REST API

However This still often requires site visibility.

Option B – Move the file

Place the Excel file in a SharePoint site where the service account already has site access.

Option C – Use OneDrive

If appropriate, storing the Excel file in OneDrive for Business can avoid some site discovery issues.

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Daniel Bocklandt 5,151 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hey,

have you tried using the HTTP request action from sharepoint?

I would take a look at it, here are two links that should help you out:

Working with the SharePoint Send HTTP Request flow action in Power Automate | Microsoft Learn

Working with folders and files with REST | Microsoft Learn

If this solved your problem, please mark it as Solved to help others find the solution faster.
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Thanks, and happy building!

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CU10031444-0 4 on at

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@Patel Asutosh 27

@Daniel Bocklandt

Thank you for confirming that limitation. Given the overall architecture of the approval system I am building, I want to clarify my setup to see if I actually need to use the REST API workaround, or if my current design naturally bypasses the issue.

To give you some context on what I am trying to achieve:

The Trigger: End-users submit a Microsoft Form.

The Routing: The flow sends standard Approval requests via email/Teams (up to 3 levels).

The Backend: Throughout the process, the flow updates an Excel 'Master Tracker', reads from a 'Workflow Map' Excel file, moves uploaded attachments into specific folders, and finally populates a Word Document template.

Crucially, all of the backend actions (Excel Online, OneDrive/SharePoint) are authenticated and running under a single, centralized account connection (form .org), not the account of the person submitting the form or the people approving it.

Because the end-users and approvers only ever interact with the Form and the Approval emails, they shouldn't need direct access to the Excel files or the SharePoint site themselves, correct?

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